Exposing the Reefer

Madness of the Parliament

of Canada - Conclusions
Asking all Members of Parliament if they support
ending Cannabis Prohibition (by removing it from the
Drug Schedule) and publishing the answers.
Copyright CC-0 - All information was found on the web or asked, and its properly
sourced, please check the source link to confirm and feel free to use these slides
anyway you like.
Created by Sam Vekemans, Victoria, BC
Document 11 of 10
Conclusions - Official Party Stance
Conservative: Possession and Sales of Marijuana is a Criminal Offense
http://www.cbc.ca/news2/background/marijuana/marijuana_legalize.html
Liberal: Marijuana should be legalized and regulated
http://petition.liberal.ca/end-prohibition/
Liberals understand the need to consider ending the prohibition of marijuana and addressing
the root causes of crime to see real results.
http://www.liberal.ca/getting-smart-on-crime-and-cannabis/
NDP: Use of Marijuana should not be legal, but consequences of possession and sales should
be minimized.
http://www.cbc.ca/news2/background/marijuana/marijuana_legalize.html
3.1h Adopting a harm reduction approach to substance abuse and permitting the use of
marijuana for medicinal purposes. 3.9i Decriminalizing marijuana possession with the goal of
removing its production and distribution from the control of organized crime.
http://xfer.ndp.ca/2012/2012-12-17-Email-Convention/Mtl2013_PolicyBook_E.pdf Montreal 2013 NDP Policy
Green: 4.8 Ending the war on drugs: Legalize marijuana by removing marijuana from the
drug schedule.
http://www.greenparty.ca/vision-green/p4.8
Bloc: Supports decriminalization
http://www.cbc.ca/news2/background/marijuana/marijuana_legalize.html
Conclusions
219 of 307 (71%) MPs have given a public
statement (as of 20 August 2014)
136 MPs have made a statement supporting
continued cannabis prohibition
83 MPs have made a statement wanting to
end cannabis prohibition
88 MPs have not made a public statement
Conclusions
Its mainly conservative MPs who support
prohibition
7 Conservative MPs want to end prohibition
Recognises the hypocrisy of prohibition
The majority of Canadians at some point in their life
have broken the law and smoked marijuana or
cannabis. - Gerald Keddy
Conclusions - Supports Prohibition
Those in opposition use the term drug
trade as implying causation
Terms such as; Gateway drug, health risks,
public safety, accessible to kids
The primarily refers to marijuana smoking
but does not consider edibles or oils of
juicing raw cannabis
Regulation concern
Regardless of the form of Cannabis (dried,
juiced, Oil tincture, infused), there is no
doubt that regulation would also make things
better, as it does for alcohol. When we buy
cannabis, we should be able to see the
percentage of THC and CBD on the label, and
we should be able to know that those
percentages are correct - as we do with
alcohol.
Known Health Benefits
Cannabinoids as antioxidants and neuroprotectants
US 6630507 B1
Abstract
Cannabinoids have been found to have antioxidant properties, unrelated to NMDA
receptor antagonism. This new found property makes cannabinoids useful in the
treatment and prophylaxis of wide variety of oxidation associated diseases, such as
ischemic, age-related, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. The cannabinoids are
found to have particular application as neuroprotectants, for example in limiting
neurological damage following ischemic insults, such as stroke and trauma, or in the
treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's
disease and HIV dementia. Nonpsychoactive cannabinoids, such as cannabidoil, are
particularly advantageous to use because they avoid toxicity that is encountered with
psychoactive cannabinoids at high doses useful in the method of the present
invention. A particular disclosed class of cannabinoids useful as neuroprotective
antioxidants is formula (I) wherein the R group is independently selected from the
group consisting of H, CH
3
, and COCH
3
http://www.google.ca/patents/US6630507
Terminology: Cannabis
Cannabis sativa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cannabis sativa is an annual herbaceous
plant in the Cannabis genus, a species of
the Cannabaceae family. People have
cultivated cannabis sativa throughout
recorded history as a source of industrial
fibre, seed oil, food, recreation, religious and
spiritual moods, and medicine. Each part of
the plant is harvested differently, depending
on the purpose of its use.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabis
The term Hemp is used to name the durable soft fiber from the Cannabis
Plant stem (stalk). Cannabis sativa cultivars are used for fibers due to their
long stems; Sativa varieties may grow more than six metres tall. However,
hemp can refer to any industrial or foodstuff product that is not intended for
use as a drug. Many countries regulate limits for psychoactive compound
(THC) concentrations in products labeled as hemp.
Hemp is valuable in tens of thousands of commercial products, especially
as fibre
[87]
ranging from paper, cordage, construction material and textiles in
general, to clothing. Hemp is stronger and longer-lasting than cotton. It also
is a useful source of foodstuffs (hemp milk, hemp seed, hemp oil) and
biofuels. Hemp has been used by many civilizations, from China to Europe
(and later North America) during the last 12,000 years.
[87][88]
In modern
times novel applications and improvements have been explored with
modest commercial success.
[89][90]
Terminology: Hemp
Cannabis sativa stem
longitudinal section
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabis
The gateway drug theory (also called gateway theory, gateway
hypothesis and gateway effect) states that the use of less
deleterious drugs can lead to a future risk of using more dangerous
hard drugs
[1]
or crime.
[2]
It is often attributed to the earlier use of one
of several licit substances, including tobacco or alcohol, as well as
cannabis.
[1]
The reverse gateway theory posits that earlier regular cannabis
use predicts later tobacco initiation and/or nicotine dependence in
those who did not use tobacco before.
[3]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gateway_drug_theory
Gateway Drug Theory
Reefer Madness
Reefer Madness (originally made as Tell Your Children and sometimes
titled as The Burning Question, Dope Addict, Doped Youth and Love
Madness) is a 1936-1939 American propaganda exploitation film revolving
around the melodramatic events that ensue when high school students are
lured by pushers to try marijuana from a hit and run accident, to
manslaughter, suicide, attempted rape, and descent into madness. The film
was directed by Louis Gasnier and starred a cast composed of mostly
unknown bit actors.
Originally financed by a church group under the title Tell Your Children, the
film was intended to be shown to parents as a morality tale attempting to
teach them about the dangers of cannabis use.
[5]
However, soon after the film
was shot, it was purchased by producer Dwain Esper, who re-cut the film for
distribution on the exploitation film circuit beginning in 1938/39 through the
40s and 50s.
[5]
The film was "rediscovered" in the early 1970s and gained new life as satire
among advocates of cannabis policy reform.
[5][6]
Although finding a popular
audience as a cult film, critics have panned it as one of the worst films ever
made. Today, it is in the public domain in the United States.
[6]
http://en.wikipedia.
org/wiki/Reefer_Madness
Declaration of Human Rights for Medical Access to
Cannabis and Cannabinoids
According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the United Nations in 1948:
Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person (Article 3).
Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself
and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social
services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability,
widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control (Article
25, Paragraph 1).
Whereas this Declaration applies to everyone and all people, whereas many doctors are banned
by legal requirements from treating their patients with cannabis-based medicines and whereas
many people cannot afford access to cannabis-based drugs we thus declare that:
1. Every medical doctor has the right to treat his or her patients with cannabinoids and cannabis
products according to the rules of good medical care.
2. Every patient has the right to access cannabis and cannabinoids for medical treatment
supervised by a medical doctor, regardless of social status, standard of living or financial
means.
http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/